Most of you wouldn't be outraged about any of the deportations the Trump administration is carrying out, but there IS a substantial fraction of the center-left to center-right who prefer to separate the wheat—illegal aliens who are not criminals otherwise—and the chaff—illegal immigrants who have committed crimes since they have crossed into the country.
I have great sympathy for that point of view, and am only as hard-hearted as I am due to the crisis caused by the Biden administration's flooding of the country with migrants from s**thole countries. As a practical matter, many of the Mexicans who emigrated here in the past have been good (non)citizens (many have not, of course), and some modest level of illegal immigrants who don't consume public subsidies and who don't flood the labor market is not THAT harmful.
But that's sort of like saying that a poison isn't bad for you because, when it is taken at low enough levels, it is harmless. The dose makes the poison.
CBS News is trying to appeal to the soft-hearted in its EXCLUSIVE! report that claims that only 14% of the people deported by Trump are known violent criminals, which is a statistic that is supposed to shock the conscience and refute the Trump administration's line.
From the article:
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 9, 2026
“Nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, the document indicates. But among that population, the majority of the criminal charges or convictions are not for violent crimes.” https://t.co/B1hPhOgpsH
Uh, yeah, I suppose if you slice and dice the numbers to make them say what you want, you can "prove" just about anything, and if people are in the mood to search out and grasp onto any "facts" to support their prejudices, putting up a pie chart to show that not every migrant is a murderer or a rapist will likely satisfy you.
Fake News. Here's a few crimes categorized as "non-violent": Drug trafficking, human smuggling, child porn, fraud, DUI, burglary, etc.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 9, 2026
The article even admits 60% "had criminal charges or convictions (though it's actually ~70%).
They're CRIMINALS and they're NOT welcome here. https://t.co/COngSVANsL
But, as many have noted, what CBS has done is provide a story that says in a very odd way that 60% of the illegal immigrants Trump is deporting have either been convicted of or face charges for crimes, and that doesn't include the fact that a huge chunk of the rest are either the wives or associates of those criminals.
By @cbs’s standard, Edward Hernandez, who @ICEgov arrested last week in Virginia is a “non criminal” because he hasn’t been convicted in the United States.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) February 9, 2026
Never mind that he is an MS-13 member & confessed to murdering 5 people in El Salvador through shooting, torturing,… pic.twitter.com/lY3VYOQGdu
By @cbs’s standard, Edward Hernandez, who @ICEgov arrested last week in Virginia is a “non criminal” because he hasn’t been convicted in the United States.
Never mind that he is an MS-13 member & confessed to murdering 5 people in El Salvador through shooting, torturing, stabbing, and dismemberment (including one victim who was alive.)
Which is pretty much what the Trump administration has said from the beginning, that their primary goal at this stage of the deportation process is. It reminds me of the story I once read that lamented that as much as 25% of the homeless population is women, and isn't that a shame?
The Fake News seems to think that illegal alien drug traffickers, drunk drivers, burglars, and those with weapons charges—whom they classify as "nonviolent" offenders—should be left alone, allowed to roam freely within the United States.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 9, 2026
Not under this administration. https://t.co/mfGgD5Zr8z pic.twitter.com/sdUNez65Kc
That's a weird way of saying that 75% are men, you know, and that is also a shame. Or is the goal to reach 100% men, preferably white men?
From the beginning, Trump and Homan have said their aim is to deport criminal aliens, and they would arrest and deport other illegal aliens they encounter along the way. Those statistics say that they are keeping their word on that.
None of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, & Rachel Morin’s illegal alien killers had any “violent” criminal history beforehand. https://t.co/IJF0tYfUSo
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 9, 2026
CBS seems to think that people will object strenuously to deporting illegal aliens who have only been human traffickers, or child porn purveyors, or drug smugglers. That is likely true of liberals, who seem to believe even Tren de Aragua members deserve to stay in the country, but for most of us, it seems to be the minimum that Trump could do. A lot of us wouldn't mind seeing the child sex abusers and rapists find their way into a wood chipper, not recipients of free food and housing.
Here’s a more accurate headline, CBS.
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) February 9, 2026
Nearly 70% of criminal aliens detained by ICE have pending charges or prior convictions. So-called “non-violent” offenders include individuals charged with drug trafficking, distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI,… https://t.co/FO629197Lt pic.twitter.com/FpJ0DE4KTK
It's the same sort of statistical bait-and-switch we see in the "who will pick the crops" argument. While it is true that a significant fraction of farm workers are illegal, although hardly the majority, it is also true that only about 4% of illegal immigrants work in the agricultural sector.
If that is your worry, can we deport the other 96%? Or do you need the maids and gardeners too? Or, perhaps, to prop up the hotel industry by paying hundreds of dollars a night to house the migrants on the government dime?
